Lincoln High School honors Panthers' achievements

The 2017 Panther Pride achievement award winners, from left, are: Karl Hasting, Johnny Quezada, Brenda Baltazar, Tyler Hunter and Kaleb Moore. The Lincoln High School students were honored at a banquet May 15 at the alternative school in Fort Morgan. (Jenni Grubbs / Fort Morgan Times)

Lincoln High School recently recognized six students in front of their friends and loved ones at the annual Panthers Pride achievement banquet.

To get his honor, students had to demonstrate excellence in academics, attendance and citizenship and then also be nominated by faculty members.

"All you winners, you should feel very good about this," teacher and banquet organizer Peyman Javadi said. "Doing what you do is very tough. That's why we make such a big deal out of it and pronounce it."

Davis credited the family and friends at the banquet for supporting the five honorees over the now-completed school year.

"The students who are in this room wouldn't be here, wouldn't be recognized, if it wasn't for you," she said. "We know how hard it was to push, shove, kick, scream to get them" to school every day and to this point of getting honored for achievements.

Davis then spoke to the honorees.

"For some of you, the progress you have made is just night and day," she said, adding that she hope the students' work ethic displayed over the last school year will continue through the coming year.

Hasting said the recognition "means a lot" to him.

"You just got to work to your full potential and stay motivated," the senior and now graduate said.

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Quezada, a junior, will be back next year looking to reach graduation, and perhaps another achievement award.

"It just feels good," he said. "It feels successful, the work that I've done. I'll try for it again next year."

Brenda Baltazar, who graduated early this school year, shows that getting the achievement award multiple times is possible. She received it at both the 2016 and 2017 banquets.

Baltazar will start classes at Morgan Community College on Tuesday to pursue studies in psychology.

"It's hard to believe that my high school journey is over," she said.

But she and her fellow honorees did get to go out in style, sharing an Italian meal and the praise of the Lincoln faculty in front of their friends and family members.

Social studies teacher Bill Shaver was among those offering kind words.

"Probably 100 kids come through this school every year, and you five are the ones we're awarding," he said. "You guys combined all three things - attendance, academics and citizenship - this year."

"Every one of these students has done so much that makes me proud of them," school counselor Bethany Stripling said. "Keep it up."

Math and science teacher Karen Engelker lauded the honorees' "dedication" to their studies over the past school year.

Javadi, the language arts, speech and art teacher at Lincoln, told the honorees he appreciated the dedication and commitment they had shown over the last school year.

"It's not easy. It was a lot of hard work, but you did it," he said.

Michele Parks, school secretary, said she knew how well these six students had done with attendance and academics because she records those things as part of her job.

"Congratulations, you guys have done wonderfully," she said.

Bob Everett, currently a substitute teacher and volunteer at Lincoln, said it had been "a pleasure to work with each of" the students being honored and that he had seen "so much progress" made by them.

Business and technology teacher Cindy Jones congratulated Baltazar and Hasting, who would be graduating, but she also gave a nudge for those who still have more to do to get to graduation.

"Now you have to live up to the honor you just received," Jones said. "Don't give up, and keep going, no matter how frustrating it gets."

2016 honorees

Javadi, who organizes the school's annual banquet, pointed out that he had not ever released information about the 2016 event and award winners.

Hoping to make "amends of sorts" for the those winners and their families, he offered the following statement.

Five of the seven 2016 Panther Pride achievement award winners are pictured at a banquet held at the school in May 2016. The winners were: Luis Lopez, Bryan Mendez, Oscar Mendez, Brenda Baltazar, Keri Montes, Miriam Porras and Stephanie Hunter. (Cindy Jones / Special to the Times)

"Lincoln High School has been in the practice of celebrating the Panthers Achievement Banquet the past seven years, as we just celebrated the 7th panthers' achievement banquet," Javadi said. "However, for some reason the ball got dropped and we did not have an article about Banquet No. 6, which took place in the May of 2016 to be exact."

"All seven students were recognized for their excellence in academics, attendance and citizenship," Javadi said. "We also congratulate them and wish them the best in their endeavors in their present academic or employment endeavors."

Of those winners, Luis Lopez, Bryan Mendez, Miriam Porras and Stephanie Hunter graduated from Lincoln in 2016 and "have moved on with their lives, as the old saying goes," Javadi said. Oscar Mendez and Baltazar graduated this school year. Montes continues at Lincoln and is hoping to graduate in 2018.

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